Furniture, woodwork and interior design show in East Africa launched

The furniture, woodwork, interior design and finishing industries are set to undergo a significant metamorphosis in line with the fast-paced digital era thanks to Fintex East Africa.

Speaking at the launch in Nairobi, Christine Songole, the Chief Interior Designer at the State Department of Public Works, described the venture as an eye-opening opportunity to learn from Ethiopian transformation of their furniture industry.

The largest regionally endorsed furniture fair in Ethiopia will officially open on August 8 - 10, 2024 featuring unique features: cross industry networking, business matchmaking, hosted buyers, summit and exhibition gathering more than 500 local, regional and global brands.

“Globally, the furniture industry has undergone a lot of changes, including technological breakthroughs, industrialization, and shifting consumer preferences. As a ministry, we realized that there was a major gap and that is why we have started developing a furniture policy,” said Ms. Songole.

The summit will have speakers from United Kingdom, Malaysia, Ethiopia among other nations welcoming premium guests raising the bar of international fair focused on contributing to the true commercial and branding value of the entire furniture, woodwork, interior design and finishing industries.

“Fintex is a trade fair that addresses the true needs of both exhibitors and buyers when pioneering a new approach that minimizes foreign entrepreneurs and maximizes Kenyan origin, while also presenting new profiles annually,” said Aklile Belete, founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Trusted Partners (ATP).

During the launch, the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between four different parties.

The first MoU was between African Trusted Partners (ATP) and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce; the partnership is for advocacy, sponsors, exhibitors to encourage, bolster and facilitate economic.

The second deal was between KEFRI and ATP on how to strategize the furniture industry, improve the industrial wood supply and alternative wood raw materials for furniture industry.

The last agreement was signed between ATP and the Association of Designers of Kenya (ADKE), a collaboration towards on organizing the summit addition to strengthening trade relations and fostering collaborative initiatives between the parties.